Worth Hurting For
by mrsalicehale1
Summary: This story starts right where New Moon left off. Edward has just proposed and Bella can't seem to give him a straight answer. She just got back from Italy and is grounded until for-ev-er! Jacob isn't talking to her and to top it off Charlie and Renée decide to come clean about a huge secret they've been harboring. Can Bella deal with this new secret without her best friend?
1. In Vain

Charlie walked into the station from lunch and looked around. Usually it irritated him that he was the only back on time, but today he was elated, hoping he'd be alone when he finally heard something back. He had been speaking with a police chief in another state regarding a cold case he'd begun working on again. This case always made him emotional and he didn't like people seeing that side of him.

Charlie sat down at his computer. He hated the thing, seeing as how he'd never really learned to use it. To him it was a hindrance, as was all technology; real police work was done in the field, not on-line.

The only thing he did know how to do was check his email, because Bella had showed him one day. He clicked the familiar blue triangle icon and waited for it to boot up. The computer dinged, indicating he had a new email.

He looked up and groaned. It was another message from his ex-wife. She was still trying to coordinate Bella's graduation. Seeing Renée wasn't going to be easy, but he would do it for Bella's sake. For now, though, he wasn't going to deal with this. Putting it off was what he did best and he would do just that, until she called. Besides, it was only the beginning of April and talks of graduation could wait.

He noticed another unread email from an address he had never seen. Fumbling to open the message, he barely noticed the subject line, Lily Jane. His heart beat faster than he knew possible as he began to read.

_Dear Chief Swan,_

_This is Chief Chance Taylor from North Beach, Maryland. We have spoken several times on the phone regarding a cold case you're familiar with. I believe I have some new information that could lead to her recovery and safe return home. Please call at your earliest convenience._

_Sincerely,_  
><em>Chance E. Taylor<em>  
><em>Police Chief<em>  
><em>North Beach, MD<em>

Charlie sat back in his chair and let out a sigh. He felt like he'd been suffocating for so long, and could finally breathe again. He began to reach for the phone when he paused, needing a minute to collect himself. A smile spread across his face as a silent tear fell; he could finally bring her home where she belonged.

He reached for the phone, dialing slowly, not completely sure he was ready for the coming conversation.

"Chance Taylor, Police Chief," Mr. Taylor said, picking up on the first ring.

"Uh, Chief Taylor. This is Chief Charlie… I mean Chief Swan. You, umm… You sent me an email earlier today," Charlie stuttered.

"Yes, of course. Chief Swan, I believe I've found her. She looks very similar to the picture you sent earlier this week, the one displaying how she would look currently, at 18," Mr. Taylor said.

"That's… that's incredible. Do you have an address?" Charlie asked, frantically searching for a pen.

"She's actually here, in the station, with me. Since I wrote you that email, one of my officers picked her up. She's a runaway," Mr. Taylor said, "the woman who adopted her called it in last night. My guys had no idea they were one and the same."

Charlie laughed, "Please give me all the information you have."

Charlie listened intently for a half hour as Chief Taylor listed all the information he had available.

"Well?" Chief Taylor questioned, as he finished.

"That's definitely her," Charlie gushed. "Now, how do I get her home?"

—

He slowly walked into the house, the thought of telling Bella weighing heavily on him. He placed his hat and gun holster on the coat rack by the front door. Sitting at the kitchen table, he began to dread what was to happen next. He'd had very few emotional conversations in his past and this one was shaping up to be the hardest. Telling Bella was something he'd always hoped he would have to do.

**(December 1987)**

"Charlie, I can't be married to you. You're a ghost!" Renée screamed.

Charlie simply hung his head and put his hands in his pockets. The guilt that had become her primary emotion recently reared its ugly head. This guilt couldn't overtake her life; she would have to learn to get past it. She needed to take care of her daughter, the only thing worth saving at this point.

This same guilt had turned Charlie into a quiet, reserved, and cold person. As far as Renée was concerned they were both at fault for that horrific day, but only one of them was willing to overcome it. He used to be so fun, talkative, and goodhearted and in an instant that Charlie was gone; the instant he discovered they had both made a horrible mistake.

"Honey, we used to talk all the time," Renée said more softly, "about everything. You used to be my best friend. I don't have anyone to talk to. I'm tired of dragging everything out of you. I'm tired of getting one word answers. I'm tired of you staring at the TV instead of looking at me. I'm tired, Charlie," she choked back a sob as tears threatened to run down her cheeks.

He remained silent, with his hand in his pockets, looking anywhere but at her.

"Goddamnit Charlie, look at me!" she began screaming again, stomping her foot. Her tears were now flowing freely, anger taking over.

Charlie looked up slowly, knowing what he'd see. He would choose his words carefully, making this easier for her. If he could just betray every feeling he had for her and lie, maybe she could move on.

"I know you deserve better than me, 'Née," he said flatly, never faltering.

"That's it?" she squealed, in disbelief.

Charlie simply nodded his head, cringing, not aware she could reach that decibel.

"I know why you work all those hours. I know you think this was your fault, but it wasn't. I can't do this anymore, Charlie. We have to take care of Bella," she pleaded with him.

Renée always assumed she'd stay in Forks forever with Charlie and grow old, but seeing the way this conversation was going she knew what she had to do. She didn't even care that she had no idea where she was going, she just had to go.

"I can't do anything else until I find her. I have to know," Charlie said, walking out of the kitchen and into their tiny living room.

He had finally done it, ended their entire marriage with two small sentences. She ran upstairs to their room, throwing herself on their worn-out comforter. Sobs rocked her body as she lay broken on their bed.

She had made this house their home, with no help from him. It was easy to be mad, angry, and bitter, but she was also madly in love with him still. The words he had said would haunt her forever. He had opted to stay here and consume his life with that fruitless search.

He wasn't the only one able to act that callous. She would get off the bed and move on with her life, taking Bella and starting over. Maybe one day he would understand what he'd done, but she couldn't wait around for him anymore.

**(Present Day)**

If he'd known those were the last words he'd speak to her as his wife, he would have said so much more. At least that's what he had continued to tell himself all these years.

All that seemed so unimportant now compared to telling Bella that her parents had lied to her for so long. She would be mad at them, of course, and she had every right. They had altered so many things so she wouldn't find out, now it was time to come clean.

He heard her truck before he saw it, which brought a smile to his face. She would drive that thing into the ground before ever thinking about getting a new one. Being stubborn was something they definitely had in common. At least his stubbornness had finally paid off; Lily was going to get to come home.

She pulled next to the curb and took her time packing up her things to come inside. It had been raining all day, so she walked gingerly across the lawn and up the stairs. Charlie waited patiently inside, watching everything from the living room window, praying she wouldn't slip and hurt herself.

One thought was repeating itself, How do I tell her this story?

Bella walked in, faced Charlie, and deposited her backpack by the front door.

_This is going to suck_, he thought, looking at Bella.

"Hey, Bells. How was school?" Charlie started, hoping to keep it casual. He was having a hard time looking at her directly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good," Bella said, with a perplexed look on her face, "Is that why you're home in the middle of the day, to ask me about school?" she smirked at him skeptically.

"No. No, it's not, Bella," Charlie stated, his tone suddenly turning serious.

"Okay," she said slowly.

She swallowed hard and he knew he had made her nervous.

"Well, Bells, I have something pretty important to talk to you about. It's going to be really hard to understand, especially since it's the first time you're hearing anything about it," Charlie said as quickly as possible.

"I don't really know how or where to start," he confessed.

"If this is about me still being grounded, I'm okay with it. I deserve it. As long as Edward is still allowed over, I'm okay with it," she corrected quickly.

Charlie rolled his eyes, "No, Bella. This isn't about Edward or you being grounded." _For once, this isn't about him, kid._

"Okay, sorry, just say it. I can take it," Bella said. She seemed to be trying to convince herself more than him.

Charlie stared at his hands.

"Well, honey. When you were born, you had a sister. You're a twin," Charlie said, closing his eyes, waiting for the onslaught.

_There, I said it_, Charlie thought, _now here comes the hard part._

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	2. Sorry Isn't Enough

Those words were all it took for Bella's world to come crashing down around her, and it was deafening.

Bella remained in the same position, staring at Charlie, for an unnatural amount of time. It was beginning to become uncomfortable, which their silences usually were not.

"Bella," Charlie began, "please say something. I know this is hard to process."

"Hard?" Bella bit back. "Try impossible."

The phrase seemed so simple – you're a twin – but completely ludicrous. Her brain wasn't willing to deal with something her heart knew must be true. The thing that seemed even more incomprehensible was how Charlie and Renée had lied to her. Boys are supposed to lie to you, friends are supposed to lie to you, but not your parents. They were who you run to when everyone else let you down.

"How could you keep this from me?" she protested, snapping out of her stupor.

"I know you're mad," Charlie said, getting up and pacing the living room.

"I'm in shock," she corrected, unable to stop the tears from forming. All at once it hit her. "Why are you telling me this?"

Something definitely wasn't adding up. Why would he lie to her all this time and then suddenly tell the truth? She knew that what was coming next was probably worse than finding out her parents were liars.

"There's been a recent… development," he responded. "Someone found her."

Bella's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Found her?" she questioned. "She's alive?!"

"Yes," he stated, "in North Beach, Maryland."

Somehow saying it aloud to another person made this seem that much more real. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, having this conversation was not something Charlie had thought he'd ever have to do.

"Tell me there's more to this story," Bella nearly shouted.

"Of course," Charlie assured. "I just don't want to tell you unless you're really ready to listen. I need you to know what happened, and I need you to understand. It's pretty important that you come to terms with this quickly. "

"I'm hanging on your every word, I promise," she snapped, bitterness seeping through her words.

"Stop with the attitude, young lady," Charlie ordered. "I know I've never been much of a father, and I'm about to tell you why. So pay attention!"

Bella's shoulders slumped as she realized how rude she was being. It was strange how quickly the anger had flared up in her. Charlie took a deep, calming breath before he began. Bella wasn't completely convinced she was ready to hear this; it seemed surreal. Of all the questions playing in her mind, one in particular was most prominent: Why had they lied for so long? Surely she had proved her maturity was beyond those of her peers.

"Okay… well… umm… I'll just start with the day you were born," Charlie said, sitting back down.

Bella sat back into the couch, getting comfortable; to hear what she hoped would be a lengthy story. Charlie was not a verbose man, but she needed to understand how two people could lie to their child for so long. Unsure that any story would make this situation okay, she was prepared to listen anyway.

"That day there was a huge storm," Charlie began. "Your mom had actually planned to have you girls in Port Angeles, but you were in a big hurry to get here." A small smile played on his lips. "We weren't making it five more minutes once the labor pains hit her, much less an hour drive up there."

"When we made it to the hospital, hardly anyone was there; they'd sent everyone home because of the storm," he explained. "Your mom was completely freaked out, but she was in too much pain to really care," Charlie continued, talking more with his hands then Bella had ever witnessed.

"There was one doctor and a nurse there, and they were the ones who delivered you guys… I mean girls," Charlie stumbled over his words. "The delivery was completely normal, everything went fine."

He stopped and swallowed the lump in his throat. The next part of this story was the hardest, and he'd never actually said it out loud to anyone, ever.

"Over the next couple of days, everyone came to see both of you," Charlie began again. "Between me and your mom, we knew everybody in town; even Billy and Rachel came down from La Push with their girls."

He stopped again, lowering his head.

Okay, here comes the hard part, Charlie thought. If you can just get through this next part, you'll be home free.

"On the day I was supposed to take you guys home, someone went into the nursery and took Lily, your sister. The nurse said some woman came in, said she taking Lily to your mom, and left," Charlie looked back at Bella, tears in his eyes.

Bella was taken aback by the depth of emotion there. He had only ever acted like that twice that she remembered; once when she left to go back to Arizona and the other when she returned from Italy. She knew Charlie loved her, but the depth of that love always surprised her. It was strange to know that that love extended to another person – her sister.

"The weirdest thing was she knew your mom's name," he continued. "The nurse didn't recognize her but assumed it was someone from your mom's side."

"No one other than that nurse saw her. For all we know, she just walked right out the front doors, and no one stopped her." Charlie shook his head, trying to rid himself of that memory. Maybe now he wouldn't have to relive that traumatic day again.

"When I got to the room, everyone from the station was there, asking your mom questions. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, all dressed and ready to go, rocking back and forth with you in her lap," Charlie shuddered. "It was surreal, being on the other side of that situation, being questioned like that."

He sighed heavily. "After that day, something in me snapped. I became obsessed. It didn't help that after a little while, everyone else was starting to act like there was no hope. It was like she had never been there. I started to feel crazy," he admitted with a smirk. "I probably acted a little crazy too."

He immediately remembered the days when anything and everything could set him off. It had gotten to the point where no one would work with him. That's when he started to get quiet. At least when he was quiet, people could handle being around him.

For a while, the anger had been just beneath the surface, but after a while it had been replaced with sadness – a sadness that never seemed to go away. After Renée and Bella left, that sadness was accompanied by a profound loneliness.

"That's why your mom and I couldn't be together," Charlie explained. "I wasn't ever home. I never helped her. I was beside myself with worry, trying to figure out any piece of this crazy mystery; none of it was making sense."

Charlie stopped speaking, hoping to give Bella a chance to ask questions. She continued to stare at the blank television screen, never giving any indication that she had even been listening.

"Bella?" Charlie said, reaching out and touching her leg.

She immediately looked down at his hand and then slowly up at him.

"Okay," she choked out, the emotion clear in her voice, "but how did you find her?"

Suddenly, Charlie's enthusiasm was clear on his face, and she was excited for him. It was clear that he was overjoyed, that a weight had been lifted from him, but she was still completely disoriented by the situation. How was she expected to deal with this and so suddenly?

The anger was starting to subside as she realized that she wasn't the only one who had been lied to. At least she knew who her real parents were. Somewhere, at the other end of the country, was a girl just as scared as her, being told the same story.

"Well," Charlie responded with a smile, "Every year, I send out an updated picture, of what she could look like to the Missing and Exploited Children's headquarters. They distribute the picture to every state, making at least that part a little easier on me."

"About two weeks ago," Charlie continued, "I got a call from the police chief in North Beach, Maryland. He'd been looking through the Missing Children's stuff he had received, and he knew a girl in his neighborhood that looked very much like that picture. The hair color was all wrong, but everything else was uncanny. He started out small, just questioning her parents," Charlie revealed.

"He knew something was up, because the minute he started mentioning the word ‛adoption,' they clammed up, refusing to talk at all. The more he kept digging, the more certain he was that he was on to something. Even if it wasn't Lily, she was definitely not their kid."

"Come to find out there were no adoption records and no birth certificate for her – not a valid one, anyway," Charlie continued. "The one they had produced turned out to be a fake."

"Anyway, a couple of days ago she ran away from home, and the police department there picked her up," Charlie said, putting his hands on his knees. "She still won't tell them why she ran away, leading them to believe that her adoptive parents were abusive in some way."

Charlie bowed and shook his head at that thought. If this turned out to be the case, he didn't know what he'd do.

"They decided to try and take a blood sample to see if it was really, truly Lily. I couldn't bring her home on a picture and a hunch," Charlie explained. "The tests proved that it is your sister."

He stopped, took a breath, and looked at Bella. It was apparent that she was completely in shock. Charlie remained quiet as she processed the information.

"Well," Bella started, "is that it?"

"Umm… no," Charlie stuttered. "I told you all that because she's coming here . . . to live with us."

The absurdities just kept coming. How could Charlie expect her to be okay with everything he had just told her? Hey, by the way, your mom and I have lied to you your whole life, you have a sister, and she's coming to live with us. Try as she might, she couldn't be as angry as she felt she was entitled to be. All she could think about was the fact that there was a girl in North Beach, Maryland, who was probably just as scared as Bella was angry.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and faced Charlie.

Opening her eyes, she saw her dad's loving and scared expression. "All right, when will she be here?" Bella whispered.

Charlie's eyes grew big as he comprehended exactly what she had said. A smile crept onto his face, reaching his eyes, as a tear slid down his cheek.

"She'll be here in two days," he said softly. "Thank you for being okay with this."

She got up from the couch. "I guess I have to be, don't I?" Bella stated simply.

She walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and started making dinner like it was any other night. Thoughts were whirling through her head at an alarming rate. Charlie got up from his chair and walked into the kitchen behind her, leaning against the wall.

"I hope one day you can forgive me for all this, Bells," he said, his voice cracking. "At least that would make one of us."

He continued through the kitchen, up the stairs, and to his bedroom. When she heard the door close, Bella instantly broke into tears. She slid down the cabinets to the floor, where she rested her head on her knees. She was sobbing quietly when the phone rang. She got off the floor, wiped her face, and picked up the receiver.

As she placed it to her ear, she noticed that Charlie had already answered it and was talking. She was about to hang up when she recognized Renée's voice on the other end.

"Yes," Charlie said, his voice still cracking, "I told her."

"Is she mad?" Renée asked.

Bella held her breath as she listened to their private conversation.

"Yeah, she's mad," he stated plainly. "I just wish I had figured out sooner that I could look for Lily and be a good father to Bella at the same time."

Bella replaced the receiver and walked upstairs to the bathroom. Edward would be there soon, and she wasn't ready to have this conversation with him just yet. She splashed cool water on her face, attempting to fix her blotchy complexion.

She grabbed a towel and began patting her face dry when the doorbell rang. Charlie was still talking to Renée as she walked downstairs. She opened the door and looked up into the most beautiful face she had ever seen.

His smile faded quickly as he took in her expression. "Bella," Edward said, sounding concerned. "What's wrong?"

Bella immediately broke down again.

Edward scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the table, and placing her in his lap as he sat down. He began rubbing the top of her head, placing small kisses there.

As the sobs quieted, Edward reached under her chin, lifting it up.

"Sweetheart, please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded.

"It's a long story," Bella said, looking down again.

"I have all the time in the world," he said, chuckling.

A small smile played on her lips as she spoke. "Later, I promise. I need to fix dinner now," she said, getting up and pushing her hair out of her face.

"Later then," he said, frowning, as she began to gather what she needed.

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	3. Lily

IEdward remained as quiet as possible, leaving Bella to her thoughts, as she hurried around the kitchen. It was obvious she was flustered as she'd almost dropped the spaghetti sauce twice now. Any other time he would have laughed at her clumsiness, but sensing just how serious the situation, it was hardly funny.

All he could hear from Charlie's thoughts upstairs was why? and how? As usual, the only thoughts ever heard from him were those that he thought the loudest and they never were complete. While at times it was nice to give Bella her privacy, at other times, like this time for instance, it was maddening. She was hurting, that much was obvious, and he hated not being able to do anything about it.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, abruptly removing him from that train of thought. He looked down and noticed a text message from Alice. He smiled while reading; asking Alice should have been the first thing he'd done when he'd seen Bella in this state. She could always see, good or bad, what was happening to Bella. That was as long as her best friend, Jacob Black, was not involved in that future.

The fact that Jacob Black was now her best friend was another maddening situation. Edward had been the reason they had ever formed that relationship. It was his fault that their connection had become imperative to Bella's survival and mental state. As Bella had so mildly put it once, "I have no idea what state you would have found me in without him putting me back together after you left."

He looked up from his phone noticing she had stopped fixing dinner and was leaning over the counter. He got up and stood behind her.

"Bella, honey, please tell me what's going on," he said, practically begging. "You know I hate seeing you like this." He knew the pain was evident on his face and he hoped it would cause her to reveal what was going on.

She sighed heavily, turned around, and fell into him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her upright as she started sobbing again. He knew she hated crying in front of anyone, as she assumed it meant she was weak. Whatever was wrong had to be terrible. The only other time he'd seen her like this was through Jacob's thoughts in response to Edward leaving her.

He had damaged the one he loved. This was something he now feared may be unforgivable, despite Bella's reassurance that it was not. He continued to hold her as the sobs quieted. She pulled away from his shirt and looked up. Even though she had promised him he wasn't the monster he made himself out to be, it still surprised him to look into those eyes and see the depth of love swimming in her soul. He may not be able to read her mind, but her emotions had always been apparent on her face.

"I'm sorry I messed up your shirt," she said, looking down and attempting to wipe away the wet spot.

Edward chuckled. "Bella my dear, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I could help."

She sighed heavily before looking up at him again. "I wish you could too, Edward. Believe me."

She lingered there momentarily, staring into his eyes, before turning around to the counter. Edward returned to his normal spot at the table.

Charlie stomped downstairs, his thoughts but mere whispers now, humming quietly to himself. He turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped, noticing Edward there.

"What's on the agenda tonight, kids?" Charlie said. He was being more polite than normal, which worried Edward more. Apparently Charlie was the one in trouble, not Edward. Unfortunately this only confused him more. What could he have possibly done to make Bella this distraught?

"Well, Charlie," Edward began, "I brought a fresh batch of college applications for Bella to fill out."

"Oh, that reminds me," Charlie said. He walked into the hallway and returned with a large manila envelope.

He handed Bella the package. "You got a letter from The University of Alaska Southwest."

Bella yanked the envelope from Charlie and hurried to open it. She pulled out a letter and a folded schedule of courses. She grinned proudly as she began to read.

"I got accepted," she whispered.

"Congratulations honey," Charlie said, wrapping Bella quickly in a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

He pulled back, both were still smiling, but the tension was also written their faces. Charlie rocked back and forth on his heels, standing next to Bella. It was strange to see them so uncomfortable in each other's presence.

"Well . . . I'm just going to go watch my game," Charlie said, pointing to the TV. "Remember ten-thirty, you two."

He huffed in Edward's general direction as he passed, continuing to the living room, where he retreated to his recliner. At least his politeness hadn't lasted long. Whatever they were upset about Charlie still remembered the revolting state Edward had left his daughter in. If Charlie was anything, he was a good father and Edward was happy he wasn't the only one looking out for her. She could use all the help she might get.

The microwave dinged, shaking Bella from her reverie. She laid her acceptance package on the counter, removed the spaghetti sauce, and poured it over the noodles. She grabbed two plates, pausing momentarily before returning one back to its place in the cupboard.

"Dad, dinner's ready," she shouted in Charlie's direction before sitting across from Edward at the table.

"You're not eating?" Edward said quietly, concern written on his beautiful features.

"I don't feel like eating," she stated simply. "Besides, don't I have more college applications to fill out?"

He pushed them towards her, deciding it was better not to pick a fight. He had been in a constant state of worry since he met Bella, but he had been always aware of what was bothering her in the past. The helplessness he felt now was overpowering. He chose not to dwell on it, picking up the newspaper and trying to distract himself. Since he was not actually intending to read it, he was surprised when the headline actually captured his attention.

Death Toll On The Rise,

Police Fear Gang Activity

As he continued to read, he was disgusted. A monster was loose in Seattle, a monster just like him; and if it continued they would need to intercede before the Volturi deemed it necessary. He put the paper back down, refusing to read any more and looking to Bella. A smile crept across his face as he looked at hers. The beauty that radiated from her never ceased to amaze him. Perhaps what made her more beautiful was her inability to recognize it in herself. Although, he wished she realized it even if only slightly; a beauty as elegant as she deserved to know it.

As long as he could keep this from her, she wouldn't feel the need to turn into one of those monsters. She would use this as an excuse for turning into one sooner than he was willing to deal with. Keeping this from her was his one and only priority and distraction would be his weapon of choice. The thing bothering her now would keep her occupied. As soon as he left he would call Alice and find out what was so distressing to Bella. She looked up from her application, smiling slightly, and turned to Edward.

"Dartmouth?" she said, amused. "There is no way, Edward."

"There are always . . . exceptions," he said, winking.

She huffed at his comment, returning to her miserable mood. She was more like her father than she would probably care to admit in this moment. Stubbornness ran in her family in all forms. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed heavily. He noticed the tears were starting to well up in her eyes. He panicked, quickly changing the subject once again.

"Alice has been wondering if you would be up for shopping sometime soon," he said, choosing his words carefully. "She seems to think that you are in need of a new dress for graduation."

She unfolded her arms, placing them on the table, and then folding them across her chest again. She seemed at a loss for words, torn between hating all forms of shopping and wanting desperately to leave the house.

"I'm still grounded, Edward," she said bitterly.

Charlie turned around, facing them. "You could go shopping with Alice . . . if you . . . if you want Bells," he stuttered.

She turned around in her chair, facing Charlie. "Oh, so my grounding only applies to him," she said, pointing to Edward.

"Well . . . no," Charlie said, swallowing hard. "I just thought you might deserve some freedom. You've definitely earned it."

She turned around slowly, as did Charlie. "I'd love to. I'll call Alice later."

Edward chuckled softly as Bella's phone started ringing. They should have known Alice would see her decision. She got up from the table and walked over to the receiver.

"Hello Alice," she said, answering the phone and rolling her eyes. "Oh Mom, sorry . . . Yeah, Dad's right here."

Charlie jumped from his recliner and walked swiftly towards the phone. Edward looked at Charlie, perplexed as he picked the receiver out of Bella's hands. He was never in any hurry to talk to his ex-wife and often asked Bella to tell her he wasn't home. This was definitely a change, but not one that Bella should or would be upset about. Bella returned to the table and picked up another application.

"Hey 'née," Charlie mumbled, "let me call you right back from the upstairs phone." He promptly hung up the phone, not allowing her to answer.

"You two behave. I'll be upstairs talking to your mom." He said, waiting for a response from Bella, but she continued to fill out her paperwork without even acknowledging that he had said anything. Charlie's look of defeat covered his features before he continued upstairs.

Edward turned to Bella who had now taken to ignoring him as well. Whatever was wrong was bad, because she never treated her father that way. At that moment, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket again.

-Please come home-

If the message wasn't alarming enough, the fact that it Carlisle had sent it was enough to make him realize it was serious. He couldn't leave Bella like this though, or could he? Bella was a grown woman after all and his inability to let her make her own decisions and deal with things is what had gotten him in trouble recently. Besides, Carlisle would have mentioned something if whatever was so urgent was life-threatening to Bella.

Edward looked up and met Bella's questioning expression. He simply smiled at her which he was sure was hardly fair. She instantly fell into one of the stupors always caused by his smile. Once she had claimed that he "dazzled" her, and knowing this, he used it to his advantage but only in those situations most dire. Unfair was hardly the word.

He chuckled. "Well, dear, I have to go," he announced, taking her hand in his. "I'll be back before you know it." He placed a light kiss on it before getting up.

"Who was that?"

"That was Carlisle. He needs me at home to help with something," Edward said, shrugging his shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Okay," she said, lowering her head.

He came around the table, picking up her chin in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "I will be back shortly. I promise," he said, kissing her on the tip of her nose.

She smiled slightly as he walked to the door. She watched him leave before getting up from the table leaving the papers scattered there. Bella trudged up the stairs into her room falling onto her bed. She didn't even care enough to change her clothes.

Edward watched her retreat to her room before he got into his car and raced home. As was custom for him, he drove home at an alarming speed. Recently, everything seemed to be turned on its head. He knew that everything couldn't go back to exactly the way it was before he left. There were consequences to his horrible actions. Edward hoped whatever he was racing home to find out had nothing to do with what he saw in the newspaper. Hopefully, it was exactly what the local authority feared, a serial killer, and not what Edward feared, another kind of monster loose and too close to home.

Carlisle's text message had him on edge as he turned down the familiar path to his home. Alice was waiting for him on the steps with her head in her hands. Jasper was with her, of course, rubbing her back, although that was not where the soothing power would come from. She craved his touch so it helped nonetheless.

Edward quickly scanned everyone's thoughts as he got out of the car in the driveway. Everyone was thinking about something different in an attempt to block him out. He reached Alice and Jasper on the stairs outside the front door, taking Alice's hand and walking inside.

Rosalie and Emmett were seated on the couch and Esme and Carlisle were in front of the television facing them. Jasper took a seat in the nearest chair and Alice sat in his lap. Edward walked to sit next to Emmett who looked somber as he patted Edward's back. Edward slowly faced Carlisle nervously awaiting what was to be said next.

"Well now that everyone is here," Carlisle began, "I think it's time everyone was clued in to the current situation."

"First, there is what Jasper and I believe to be a newborn vampire loose in Seattle. I have been following the news closely relating to that area and I fear that it can be nothing else. The problem we face is that if the Volturi fear that it will expose our world, they will send members of the guard to correct the problem," Carlisle announced, turning to face Edward directly.

"The problem with this, as you know, son, is that with the guard being so close, they will inevitably check in on our family and Bella's condition. We assumed when you made that promise, we would have far longer to follow through before we would be held accountable. That is no longer the case," he stopped, facing the room as a whole again.

"We have several options relating to this. We can go over them shortly. Alice has not seen the Volturi making any sort of decision or even indicating they are aware of the newborn issue in Seattle. Right now, I believe Alice would like to speak with everyone regarding something she has seen on a different subject," he finished, motioning for Alice to begin.

Alice slowly got up from Jasper's lap, looking to him for reassurance before speaking. It was Edward's turn to put his head in his hands. He was not looking forward to turning Bella into the monster that he was. She was too pure a person to corrupt in that manner. Spending eternity with her was something he craved, but not at the expense of her soul. He knew his selfishness would win in the end as the Volturi had been promised that she would, in fact, be changed.

"Well today around one this afternoon I saw a vision of Bella," she began. Edward immediately looked towards Alice. "She was walking around school introducing a small, blonde girl to everyone. She kept saying, 'This is my sister, Lily'."

Alice let that sink in as Edward continued to stare at her with a look of confusion etched on his face. She continued.

"Obviously, I went to Carlisle and we started to look up Bella's birth certificates and things of that nature."

Alice stopped and looked to Carlisle for how to continue. When she didn't, Carlisle returned to the head of the conversation. He held Alice's hand as he began to speak. She did not like causing him pain so whatever she was having trouble saying would do just that.

"What we discovered was that her original birth certificate listed her as multiple or twin," Carlisle stated, looking to Edward also.

He leaned back into couch with his hands over his mouth. He remained motionless while Alice went to sit beside him. She quietly took his hand and looked up at him. Edward slowly looked over meeting her eyes.

"How could I not know this?" he asked, obviously taken aback.

"Well, she didn't even know it," Alice reassured.

"But how did no one, in all our time here, ever think about this once? She is the police chief's daughter. This had to have been a big deal," he questioned.

"I feel that the town as a whole respected Charlie and Renée's privacy and it has been quite a while since anyone has even heard anything about it," Carlisle said.

"Regardless, this is happening and I assume Bella is quite distraught," Esme said softly, speaking to Edward.

Edward looked around at his family one by one. They were all there to support him and once again he felt as if it was not deserved. They were there for him, but who was there for Bella? She was the one in emotional turmoil. She had just been delivered news that went against everything she knew of her parents and her childhood.

Receiving a new sibling in his family was always a joyous occasion around their household. It meant that someone else viewed their lifestyle as suitable and enjoyable, or in Jasper's case, at least tolerable.

In Bella's case, it meant of things would be changing drastically and possibly not for the better. This new person was completely foreign to Bella, Charlie, and their way of life. This could be a good thing or a very, very bad thing.

Hopefully, for Bella's sake, it would be a good thing. The way her luck was running as of late, probably not.

"Well," Edward said, quietly, "What can we do to help her with this?"

Everyone looked to Carlisle for the answer. He spoke carefully and calmly.

"I suppose we should all be prepared for any mood this may cause in Bella or any changes. She is still the same person we all love and for that we must respect her privacy. She may choose to open up to all of us or none of us," he said, looking to Edward, "and for that we must be ready."

Everyone shook their heads and then looked to Edward. He slowly got up from the couch and headed for the stairs. No one but Alice dared approach him which always made him smile. He turned to her, assuming she was going to say something to reassure him that everything would be okay as she did so often.

"I'm here for you Edward, we all are," she said, hugging him.

"I know that Alice," he said, before turning and walking to his room. He would need to compose himself as he would return to Bella shortly. He was to be there for her, as Carlisle had put it, in any way she needed. Even if that meant he wasn't the one she opened up to. He feared that might be the case, but what scared him more was who he thought she would call on instead.

* * *

><p>Charlie opened his eyes and was confused with his new surroundings. It took him mere seconds to comprehend where he was, in Bella's room, or his new room rather. It was so surreal to him how much had changed in the last three days.<p>

Bella and Charlie had switched rooms as his was bigger. He had also purchased another twin mattress set to go next to Bella's, with sheets and a comforter that Alice had picked out. Edward had become a permanent fixture, more than he already was anyway, and Charlie hardly had a say in it. How could he? He had turned Bella's life upside down and she'd been so understanding, or at least pretended that she was.

He got up and started to get dressed. He had laid out his clothes last night in anticipation for today. Nervousness had taken over as his primary emotion starting last night around six o'clock. He'd taken sleeping medication just to calm his nerves. It allowed him two solid hours of sleep before he was awake again. Granted, it was only five in the morning, but lying in the bed was just not something he could do anymore. He would go get a cup of coffee from the diner or something, anything else but staying in bed and waiting.

Today was the day he was going to pick up and Lily and by now the entire town knew it. He was both scared and excited at revealing this news to his friends and coworkers. A small smile played on his lips as well, as he started to think of how relieved he now felt. He finished getting ready and headed to Bella's room to check on her. Peeking his head in, he noticed she was still sleeping. She had opted not to join him, saying she was going to be there to show Lily around on her first day of school at Forks High School instead. Charlie hoped that they would get along, not needing the stress that it would put on any of them if they didn't.

He continued downstairs and outside, stopping to get his coat and keys. He locked the door behind him and headed towards his car. He got into his police cruiser and turned on the radio. The silence would not suit him today. He pulled out of the driveway and pointed his car towards the diner. When he arrived, there was only one other car in the parking lot and he knew that car well. She was the town gossip, being the waitress at the only diner in town it was hard not to be; she heard everything.

He turned off his car and walked inside slowly, dreading the questions he knew were coming. Surprisingly, when the bell rang announcing his arrival she didn't even look up to see who it was. He took his normal seat by the window and waited for her to take his order.

She strolled over from the counter smiling. She pulled her pad and pencil out of her apron.

"Hello Chief," she said. "What can I get you this morning?"

He rattled off his usual order without even looking at the menu. Surprisingly, she looked up at him, smiled, and returned to the counter, but not before relaying his order to Devon, the cook. Hopefully everyone would be so nice as to give him his privacy regarding this situation, at least today. He doubted that would be the case, but he could always hope. His nerves were not going to make him a very social person today.

She returned with his order quicker than he thought possible. As often as he came, he shouldn't be surprised, especially since there was no one else there. He smiled up at her before grabbing a fork. She walked back to the counter and he began to eat with more of an appetite than he was aware he had at the moment.

He finished his meal quietly thinking of what he would say to Lily the first time he saw her again and how the conversation would play out. He didn't even know her, how she would react to him or her new surroundings. It would break his heart if he found out any harm had come to her from the couple that adopted her. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case, for their sake and his.

He finished, wiped his mouth, pushed the plate back, threw down the usual amount, and walked out the door without even a wave. He was too distracted for common courtesies today; everyone would just have to understand.

He got back in his car and turned the radio up louder before pulling out onto the road and heading for the interstate. Seattle always seemed a long drive, but today it seemed hours away. Being left to his thoughts was usually something he appreciated, but in his current state he felt this may not be a good idea.

Without even being aware, he arrived in Seattle, first noticing as he hit the outer edges of the city. As some of the larger buildings came into view, he began to notice just how nervous he was, as his hands were actually shaking on the steering wheel. He directed the car towards the airport and began to sweat.

He arrived at the airport and found a parking spot near the luggage pick up area. He got out slowly, taking a deep breath, and walking towards the entrance. He decided to stay near the luggage area as meeting her at the gate may seem too overwhelming, whether that was to him or to her, he wasn't sure.

He went from sitting to standing several times over the next half hour. He even began to pace as he neared the hour mark. He knew he was early, but that wasn't calming him down a bit. As nine o' clock rolled around, he began rubbing his palms against his jeans repeatedly.

As the conveyer belt sprang to life, Charlie jumped from his seat as if an alarm had gone off. People began filling in around it and he starting looking for the girl Chief Taylor had described. Charlie was on his toes looking over everyone when he spotted her. A smile broke out on his lips and the nervousness faded away. He walked through the crowd to the little girl he had finally found.

She was bobbing her head along an unknown song. As he got closer, he noticed she had ear buds in and was blocking everything out. As not to frighten her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She immediately removed one looking his way. She smiled at him before looking down. It was apparent she was shy or maybe scared. Charlie wasn't sure yet.

What he was sure of though, was the fact that she had entirely too much makeup on. No child should even own that much makeup. He quickly corrected himself acknowledging sadly that she was not a child, she was a young woman, and an adult legally; she was free to wear as much make up as she wanted. Even if it bothered her father greatly.

"Hi Lily," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Charlie."

She looked up and shook his hand, removing it quickly. She looked back down at her shoe, which she was moving back and forth in front of her. It gave him time to assess the small girl before him. She had blonde hair on top and black hair near the bottom. It was an obvious dye job as both colors were an unnatural shade.

She was wearing a small, white spaghetti strap tank top and a very tattered pair of jeans. A small, wooden cross necklace dangled down in front of her. Charlie was not sure he approved of any of her attire, but chalked it up to the fact that Bella wore nothing like this and he just wasn't used to it.

"Well, which bags are yours?" he said, trying very hard not to let his disapproval in her appearance leak into his voice.

"Mine are bright green," Lily said softly, not looking up.

Charlie moved towards the conveyer belt through the crowd looking for bright green bags. He spotted them instantly and picked them up. She only had two small suitcases which surprised him. He laughed to himself as he realized it shouldn't, when he had come to pick Bella up she only had two small bags as well, hers being less flamboyant though.

He would have to learn not to compare the two so much. He needed to realize that they were two separate people who had lead separate lives until now. That thought saddened him as he wished this wasn't the case, but it was and everyone would just have to deal with it; starting with him.

He walked with the suitcases over to where Lily was standing with one ear bud hanging down in front of her. She had yet to look up so Charlie concluded scared was probably a better description of her mood. He lightly touched her hand which caused her to look up at him.

"Are you ready?" he said, motioning towards the door.

She took a deep breath and sighed. "As ready as I'm gonna be." She smiled and looked ahead as they began to walk toward the car.

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	4. Jaded

The ride home was shaping up to be a silent one. Every question Charlie had asked was met by Lily with yes and no answers, none of which seemed rude in any way; it was just apparent that Lily was a shy girl. She still had one ear bud placed in her ear, and Charlie could vaguely hear what she was listening to. He was relieved it wasn't anything that involved rock guitars or screaming voices.

"How was school going in Maryland, Lily?" Charlie looked over at her quickly and then back to the road.

She just shrugged, never looking from the window. Charlie had never talked this much in a long time. He was definitely not used to being the one to carry a conversation. A smile played on his lips as he realized how frustrated others must feel when talking to him. He stole another glance and noticed her expression didn't appear sad or upset, and for that he was thankful.

They pulled into the Forks High School parking lot, and he put the police cruiser in park. He mentally scolded himself for bringing this vehicle. It had just dawned on him that maybe Lily wouldn't want such a blazing introduction to the town of Forks. Fortunately, no one had taken to gawking or pointing as they entered town.

"You know you don't have to go to school today," he stated plainly. "You can always wait until next week… or whenever you're ready."

He took to biting the inside of his lip as she started stowing all of her belongings into the back pack she had brought with her. She shook her head and turned to him, smiling.

"No. It's fine. I'll be fine," she replied, turning back to her back pack. She patted it twice as she moved for the door handle.

Charlie turned slowly to mimic her movements, opening his own door. He stepped out and watched her carefully over the top of the cruiser. He was determined to make her stay home at the first sign that she didn't want to be there. To this point, he had seen none. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or distraught. He had _just _picked her up, and he didn't know if he was ready to share her with the world yet.

They walked in silence toward the large double doors leading to the front office. He held it open for her, and she stepped underneath his arm and into the old school. The smell of mold and sweat brought back memories for Charlie as they stepped together over the threshold of the office. Charlie pointed toward a seat by the window for Lily to sit in before walking up to the desk with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Amanda," he started. "Is Mrs. Freeman here?"

Charlie was attempting to peer past the small girl for Mrs Freeman. In the same instant, Amanda was attempting to peer past Charlie for a look at Lily. Charlie's defensive instincts kicked in as he whirled around to see how Lily was interpreting the attention. To his relief, she had stuffed both ear buds in her ears and had her eyes closed. She had been oblivious to the whole exchange.

Charlie glared down at Amanda. "Um, I'll go get her," she answered quickly, scurrying away. Charlie folded his arms over his chest. He hoped desperately that the kids at Forks High wouldn't be mean to Lily. He didn't know a lot about her, but knew no kid in her situation deserved to have any ill-will directed toward her.

Charlie started toward the bulletin board on his left, wanting to distract himself with the latest school news while he waited.

"Charlie," Mrs. Freeman's voice rang out. "How are you?"

He turned quickly to meet her smiling face with a smile of his own.

"I'm good," he swallowed. "Good."

He pointed toward Lily. She simply nodded and motioned with her head toward the other end of the long desk. She pushed a set of papers toward him.

"I'm a little concerned, Charlie," she began, her brow furrowed. "If you look here, you can see the list of classes she's taken."

He met her eyes with a look of confusion and a shrug.

"My problem is that these are all sophomore classes. She hasn't taken anything higher. She's not behind," she corrected herself in a hurry. "She didn't start school until 1994, which means that instead of her being 5 when she started school she was 7."

Charlie pursed his lips, utterly confused by what this could mean. He turned to Lily, who still had her eyes closed and her head now propped up against the window behind her. He racked his brain a couple of seconds longer for an explanation before turning back to Margaret.

"Margie," Charlie started, using her nickname. "Is there anything we can do? I don't want her to be so behind everyone else her age. She's already at a disadvantage starting this late in the school year."

She held up her index finger, a smirk playing on her lips. She picked up another pile of papers from the small desk behind her.

"Here," she laid it in front of him. "This is a placement test she can take. If she can pass it, she can start class with the seniors tomorrow and then graduate on time in May."

He took a deep breath, wanting desperately to call Renée so she could give him some insight into what needed to be done here. He shrugged and then nodded to Mrs. Freeman, who stacked all the papers together and headed out from behind the desk. Charlie followed closely behind her as she neared Lily. She must have felt everyone's eyes on her as she opened one of her own. She smiled up at the pair and removed both ear buds.

"This is Mrs. Freeman, Lily." Charlie motioned toward the Mrs. Freeman, who extended her hand. Lily took it and shook before replacing both hands in her lap.

"She needs you to take some tests before you can start class. Is that okay?" he questioned, not knowing what would set her off.

Her confusion matched his from moments ago as she stood up, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Sure," she mumbled slowly.

Mrs. Freeman motioned for Lily to follow her into a small room off the main office. Lily did so without so much as a glance back at Charlie, who was growing progressively more nervous. He sat down in the chair Lily had just occupied and began to rub his hands nervously on his jeans.

He shifted his position in the chair many times in an attempt to get comfortable. He even tried standing a couple of times and trying to read the fliers on the walls before ultimately giving up and sitting in the chair again. Lily's test took a grand total of two hours and forty-three minutes, and Charlie had counted every one.

Mrs. Freeman and Lily emerged together, smiling and laughing. Their laughter had Charlie grinning, as he was happy Lily wasn't always a shy person. Mrs. Freeman winked as soon as he caught her eye, and he took that as a good sign.

"Bring her back tomorrow, and we'll get her all set up," Margaret stated, giving a thumbs up to Charlie as Lily turned around and headed for the door.

A comfort washed over Charlie, as he was happy that this was one less thing he would have to worry about. He now knew that Lily would open up a little if prodded enough, as he was sure Mrs. Freeman had done. He made a mental note to have Lily explain why she had the first two years of her schooling postponed. The puzzle that was Lily's former life would come together soon enough.

They walked back out of the front doors and down the sidewalk. Charlie's hands had become permanent fixtures in his pockets, as he didn't know where else to put them. Silence was the foundation in their relationship, albeit a strange one. He hoped he could make more progress with Lily than he'd ever made with Bella as a teenager.

"So… um… We'll go to the house. You can unpack, and I'll show you your room," he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Are you hungry?"

She just shook her head and hopped into the passenger side of the police cruiser. Once again, she didn't appear angry, upset, or sad… content seemed a better description. He prayed that his impression was correct as he took his place behind the wheel.

* * *

><p>He knew he was probably staring, but he couldn't help watching her as she walked through the small living room, apparently entranced by the many pictures that lined the walls. He walked around her as she stopped in front of one particular picture and continued on his way to his favorite chair.<p>

The silence was deafening, and she made no movement to join him. The lack of conversation, for once, was not comforting to Charlie… it was maddening. He needed answers to his questions, though he knew some he would be too afraid to ask right away.

He coughed quietly, hoping to break whatever trance she had entered into. Thankfully, she turned slowly away from the picture to face him. He motioned for her to sit on the couch, and she obliged. She stared at him with waiting eyes as Charlie searched for the right words to begin.

"I… um…," he stuttered. "Do you know why you… um… had to take that test?"

She shook her head and offered no further insight or comment on the topic. He huffed slightly as he realized this was going to be more difficult than he had hoped. She wasn't going to offer any help to him, as Bella often did. He finally decided that just laying it all out there might be his best bet. It'd be like removing a band-aid; the quicker the better.

"You were actually two grades behind where you were supposed to be. For some reason, you didn't start school until you were 7. Did your.. um.. Mom ever give you any explanation?" he spat out.

She shook her head, her eyes seeming to scan his face for answers. "You mean I'm not 16?"

Her voice was so quiet that Charlie almost didn't hear it. Things were slowly falling into place, and he was utterly taken aback. She thought she was two years younger than she really was. He repeated that sentence over and over in his head. There was no rational reason why two people would hold their seemingly bright child back an entire two years and then lie to that child. He shook his head as she continued to search for her own answers in the wood grain beneath their feet.

"Lily." He reached over and touched her leg – his attempt at being reassuring. "You're actually 18."

Her eyes shot up to his face. "18?!" she screeched. "I'm already 18?"

Charlie nodded and cringed; he had heard that screech before in this house. The more she began to talk, the more he noticed that she sounded exactly like Renée. He wanted to smile as the familiar voice sounded in his memories, but he suppressed it, knowing that Lily was facing a new world and realizing her old life was riddled with lies.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Charlie stated, removing his hand. "We can always throw you a big birthday party. Alice is really good at those."

His smile was becoming harder to hide as he congratulated himself for thinking of a way to make Lily feel better about the news.

As usual, his initial assumption of what would make the women in his life happy could not have been further off the mark.

"A party?" she shot back; sarcasm laced her words. "A party is going to make this all better?"

Her arms were now folded over her chest, and Charlie was growing nervous again. He had messed up, and he didn't think he could backtrack quickly enough to stop this train wreck.

"And who is Alice?" she scoffed; emphasizing Alice's name with disdain.

"Alice is Edward Cullen's sister. He is your sister Bella's boyfriend," Charlie said quietly. He didn't like this side of Lily, but he could hardly be upset about it. He was starting to realize that Lily had been lied to much more than Bella had been, and about truly fundamental things. He had been comparing the two girls since the moment he met Lily, and he needed to realize that she was acting like any normal teenager in this situation – probably better than most would.

"Bella is my sister," she stated, breaking his train of thought.

She seemed in awe at this news as well. It had to be mind-boggling to realize you had a whole other family you had never known anything about. Charlie hated feeling that he and Lily were starting off on the wrong foot. He hated it more that he didn't know how to fix it. He looked over at the clock and clapped his hands. Lily jumped slightly at the sudden noise.

"Bella will be home soon. Do you want me to show you to your room?" Charlie stood as he asked.

"Yeah… sure," she mumbled back her answer.

She seemed a little jarred at the sudden change in conversation shortly after such an announcement, but she followed anyway. He wanted to hug her and tell her it would all be okay. Instead, he picked up her suitcases and headed for the staircase.

He bit the inside of his mouth as he opened the familiar bedroom door. The once-barren room that had been made up of mostly neutral colors now stood proudly in all its lilac glory. The room was gorgeous, and Charlie was glad he'd allowed Alice to come over and pick it all out. He had attempted a room makeover once when Bella had moved in. He was sure she had simply been too nice to admit how horrible it had all looked the way he had thrown it together.

He placed Lily's luggage just inside the door as she walked past him. Her expression still hadn't changed, and her arms were still firmly placed over her chest. He placed his nervous hands back in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels slightly.

"It's pretty," she said, nodding her approval.

"Alice," Charlie swallowed, that being all he could manage to say.

Angry women had to be Charlie's one and only weakness. He never knew how to respond and could usually be found giving said woman whatever she wanted. Charlie had learned that being still and making little to no noise usually diffused the situation greatly.

"It's pretty," she repeated, unfolding her arms and giving him a weak smile.

He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in as he grinned back at her. "I'm glad you like it."

She pointed to the matching twin beds. "Which is mine?"

He pointed to the one next to the door, and she began dragging her luggage to it. He didn't know if that was cue to leave or not, so he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Bella usually makes dinner for me, but I'm sure we could go out and eat if you want."

She shook her head, though she never looked back up at him. "No. Dinner here is fine."

"Well… um… I'm going to go to my room. Make yourself at home." He rolled his eyes at the cliché comment.

When she didn't respond, he retreated back into the hallway, reaching to shut the door behind him. As soon as it closed, he heard her muffled screams. He reached reflexively for the handle again and stopped himself, giving a low chuckle; he'd heard that noise before, too. She was screaming into a pillow. In time, he would tell her just how much like her real mother she actually was. He shook his head and continued on to his own room, thinking one thought: Dinner should be interesting.

* * *

><p>Charlie cringed again as Bella dropped yet another pan on the counter. He was desperately attempting to ignore the loud noises coming from the kitchen and watch his game. Television was his only distraction, and currently it was being interrupted by Bella's nervousness. Charlie caught another glimpse of Edward out of the corner of his eye. He was perched perfectly still on the other end of the couch. Every once in awhile, Charlie would catch him shifting his position, but his expression never changed.<p>

Lily's footsteps could be heard overhead, shuffling back and forth through the small room. She was still getting situated and hadn't once ventured downstairs. Before Bella had gotten home, Charlie had heard Lily talking on the phone to someone. He couldn't make out any more than muffled whispers through the wall… not that he had been eavesdropping or anything.

He shook his head slightly and directed his attention back to his small television screen just as Edward stood, heading into the kitchen. If Charlie's ears heard right, Bella had just dropped the small sauce pan on the floor and was trying to clean up what had splattered. Bella was in rare form today; Charlie couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so flustered. She had always been so put together, never letting anything get to her. Her maturity had always compensated for any nervousness, but her blush would always give her away to those who knew her well.

Charlie knew Bella's face was surely a bright red, as she was aware how much rode on her interaction with Lily. He now realized it wouldn't have been possible to place more pressure on Bella than he already had by forcing them to share a room without ever meeting. Charlie made yet another mental note to thank Bella for being so amazing through all of this.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to the ceiling as he heard Lily open the door to the room. Charlie's heart was now beating wildly out of control as her footsteps began their descent down the staircase. His hands were visibly shaking as he turned his head just in time to catch sight of Lily entering the kitchen.

Lily smiled weakly as Bella and Edward both turned to look up at her from the floor. Bella stood and straightened out her shirt as she extended her hand. Bella was indeed blushing furiously as Lily took her hand and shook it. Both girls mirrored each others movements as they placed their hands back at their sides.

"I made spaghetti." Bella stated, pointing toward the large pot on the counter.

Lily's eyes grew wide and a smile stretched on her face. "I love spaghetti. It is literally my favorite dish."

"Mine too."

Edward finished the chore at hand before standing up as well. He placed the sauce pan back on the counter and extended his hand to Lily.

"Lily, this is Edward." Bella interjected, motioning to Edward.

She cocked her head ever so slightly to the side as she took it, jerking it back in the next instant as if she had received a shock. Charlie had entered the kitchen in time to observe this exchange but didn't know what to make of it.

He leaned against the door frame. "Is… uh… dinner ready yet, Bells?"

Bella peeled her eyes from Lily's face and nodded to Charlie. She turned slowly and started to gather the plates she had set out on the counter. She handed each out; one to Lily, one to Charlie, and one for herself.

"He's not eating?" Lily said, pointing to Edward. Her question directed at Bella.

"No. My mother is making my favorite dish tonight. I was simply staying for Bella's sake, but I can leave if I am making the situation uncomfortable," Edward explained.

Both Charlie and Bella remained motionless as they watched the exchange between Lily and Edward take place. The tone in her voice made her appear very irritated with Edward for some reason unknown. Lily continued to look deep into Edward's eyes as if searching for something before simply shrugging.

"No more uncomfortable than it already is," Lily stated plainly, turning to the counter where the spaghetti noodles were stationed.

She scooped herself a large amount before scooting down the counter for the sauce. Charlie took her lead and began dishing himself some as well. Bella and Edward continued what appeared to be a private and silent conversation before she followed behind the other two. Edward sat down at the table just as Lily did and politely smiled at her. She returned the gesture, though it did not seem genuine. Charlie had never really entertained the idea of Edward and was greatly enjoying that there appeared to be someone else who did find him as fascinating as Bella and the rest of the town did.

Lily took her fork and began swirling it around her noodles. Some of the sauce dripped back onto her plate as she picked it up and started eating. She moaned quietly and appreciatively as she gave a thumbs up to Bella, who had finally taken her seat. Bella half-smiled as she began eating her own smaller portion.

Lily swallowed. "I can't believe I found someone else who puts jalapenos in their spaghetti sauce. This is great," she exclaimed.

"Oh. Yeah… my mom… Or our mom," Bella corrected quickly, "loves jalapenos in her sauce." She shrugged. "Honestly, I don't even think about it anymore when I make it. I've always done it like that."

Lily nodded and took another large bite. Charlie was glad Lily was talking to Bella civilly, though she had no reason to be mature about any of this. He knew he would never have taken the news he had been lied to as well as both of his daughters had.

"So, Bella," Lily said, mouth half-full, "when is our birthday?"

Charlie's eyes grew wide as he realized he had forgotten to tell Bella the latest news. "Lily just found out she is actually two years older than what her other parents were telling her," he blurted out.

"Yeah. Apparently there's a lot about myself I don't know." Lily swallowed, going back for what was sure to be another large bite. She seemed to be quite adjusted to the shocking news she had only discovered hours ago.

Both of Bella's eyebrows rose as she stared from Charlie to Lily again. "It's September 13th," she said quietly.

Lily just nodded as she took another bite and looked out the window. This time it was Edward who continued the conversation.

"So, Lily." He smiled politely at her as she turned back to him again. "What are some of your hobbies? What did you do for fun in North Beach?"

She didn't appear too thrilled that Edward had chosen to speak again, but she answered him anyway. "I was in beauty pageants mostly, though I don't think I'd call it fun," she said tersely.

"Oh? And why is that?" he asked, seemingly interested in their conversation.

She took another bite and swallowed before answering him. "Well, Edward." Her voice appeared strained. "It's hard to find much fun in standing around for hours in a big poofy dress and tons of make-up while you watch much younger girls do things too risqué for their age."

Charlie choked slightly on his dinner when he heard her explanation. It was obvious that she didn't enjoy talking about this, or anything else to do with North Beach. He turned to her and noticed she looked ready to cry as she placed her fork on her now-empty plate.

"May I be excused?" she questioned, turning up to Charlie with glistening eyes.

He nodded and watched as she scooted her chair back, took her plate to the sink, and then walked slowly upstairs. She hadn't slammed or even shut her door, so Charlie took that as a good sign. He turned to Edward and glared at him. Edward appeared visibly repentant for having inadvertently upset Lily. Regardless, Charlie felt no sympathy for him as he took his plate to the sink as well.

"Thanks for dinner, Bells," Charlie said. "It was good."

He walked back into the living room to continue watching his game. Charlie couldn't remember a moment when he had ever hated Edward more than he did right now. He could hear Bella's hushed tones coming from the kitchen, and he turned the game up louder. Charlie knew that conversation wasn't meant for him anyway.

He still managed to hear Lily lay down on her bed upstairs as it scooted across the floor slightly. How could he make this better for everyone? Charlie hoped he would find a way. He would call Renée next chance he got and fill her in on all the latest. Maybe she had been right. Maybe Lily did need her mother more than she needed her father. He couldn't stop the tears welling in his own eyes at the thought. He had looked so long for her. Charlie couldn't stand the thought that, after all that searching, praying, and worrying, she wouldn't _want_ to be here with him.

He cursed himself as a picture appeared vividly in his mind: a tiny plastic hospital bassinet standing empty. He had stared at it for so long that night, hoping it would have the answers to her location etched somewhere on it. He looked down at his feet as he realized he would do whatever was best for Lily, even if that meant sending her away again.

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	5. Freedom

Lily stood near the edge of her new bed, staring at the outfit she had picked out last night. In the light of the new day and against the pale pink comforter she was starting to hate it. Nothing about it seemed right.

She needed to get Bella's opinion. It was a strange sensation to suddenly crave the comfort of a person you had only met 16 hours ago. Something about Bella made her feel safe and comfortable, like this was where she had always belonged. Better yet, it was if she had always been here. Did Bella feel the same way?

_'How melodramatic of me'_, she thought.

The thought of being overly emotion reminded her of last night and her first meeting with Edward. She's not quite sure what had taken hold of her, but she knew that she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. After she had stomped up to her room, like your typical teenager, she had pulled out her phone as was becoming habit for her. As the backlight came on she did a small, silent prayer hoping that Jay would have left her a text message.

It amazed her, even now, as she thought of how quickly Jay had become such a fixture in her life too. He was her best friend and her guiding light of real in the sea of fake. Maybe this was a new habit of hers, becoming completely consumed by anyone new she met.

Regardless, Jay had been the one last night to remind her real father didn't seem keen on forcing her into anything she didn't want to do and that Lily should take full advantage of that. He had told her to find herself and that he was sure in the tiny town of Forks, Washington that would definitely be possible.

_Real father_, she thought, _how bizarre_.

Her phone vibrated near her pillow breaking her from her reverie and she lunged forward to grab it. Hopefully it was Jay again with his famous words of encouragement for her first day in her new school, her real school. She rolled her eyes instantly; Lauren had sent her wonderfully fake words about no longer being in North Beach.

_"Not gonna be the same without you girly. Hope to see you soon. xoxo Lauren"_

Lily did not feel obligated to reply. There was no one here to force upon her friends she did not care to be around. Bella opened the door cautiously and smiled down at her on the bed. It was a nice feeling that she wasn't the only one cautious about her every move. She bounced back on the bed and stood near her outfit. She cocked her head to the side again to try and make a decision regarding something most would see as simple, picking an outfit.

She watched as Bella walked slowly to the other side of the room to retrieve her brown and dark green backpack. She wanted to say something to her and she definitely had a million questions, but Lily just kept opening and shutting her mouth awkwardly instead. Her face suddenly became very hot and she was sure her face was a brilliant shade of scarlet. She turned away and stared back down again at her clothes. Bella was suddenly at her side, backpack over her shoulder, staring down at the ensemble too.

"It's actually going to be too cold for that outfit, I think…" Bella said, her voice trailing off.

Lily never looked up as she mentally went over her wardrobe to determine if she even owned anything suitable for this wet, cold place. She shrugged more to herself than Bella as she concluded she would need a makeover in the worst way. It was very possible she wouldn't hate this makeover like she had the last. She shivered though the temperature in the small house was comfortable, trying to physically shake those memories from her mind.

Lily was suddenly very aware of the light drizzle hitting the window beside her. No, Bella was right. This outfit would not fit in here as Lily was determined to do. She would be herself, but she would be comfortable. Jay had warned her of this area's climate, but Lily had ignored him. He had told her of the many summers he had spent here as a child on the nearby reservation. She silently scolded herself for not listening to him. He had been right about everything else, why not this?

She took a thin, long-sleeved shirt from the small closet and showed it to Bella for approval. She simply smiled and shook her head.

"That's perfect. Let me see if I can find you a jacket."

Bella simply needed to turn to her left to begin rifling through the small closet. She pulled out a dark green jacket that almost matched her backpack and handed it to Lily.

"I mean, if you want, you don't have to wear it," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Lily took it, a huge smile on her face, collecting the other parts of her outfit and hurrying to the bathroom. She changed as quickly as possible and then turned to the tiny mirror. Everything seemed smaller here; smaller, but absolutely perfect. She stared back at her blank face, void of all makeup as it was every morning.

Jay had once caught her like this early one morning and told her that she looked more beautiful as is than any other time of the day. The blood rose to her cheeks and it turned that familiar bright color as she tried to think of something else. She was unsure why everything was reminding her of him, but she shook her head to take her back to the present. Today was not the day to be overtaken by the memories of her Jay.

She took a different routine this morning as she pulled out the hair dryer first. Her routine back in that large house many states away was a 3-step, complicated process and took place in a much larger area. A small smile formed on her lips as she realized in those moments, as she caked on makeup and applied fake eyelashes, she had daydreamed of being saved from the only life she knew, a life she hated. She craved a new life that involved only people that loved her for who she was without all the makeup and money. Lily took sharp, deep breaths as she realized that she had all of that now. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes. Her tears would be of the happy variety, but they were for another day.

Today would be different. She toyed with the large makeup kit stationed on the floor near her feet. She hadn't decided yet, but she knew that Bella wore very little makeup and she was absolutely gorgeous. Their skin wasn't the same shade, due to Lily's relentless tanning sessions, but it was flawless with no wrinkles regardless, just as Bella's skin was. She wasn't purposely trying to be "just like Bella," but if she was being honest with herself she did want proof she belonged in this too-good-to-be-true family.

She dried her hair quickly and decided to simply put on the lip gloss she loved, instead of the lip plumping stick that caused her mouth to sting uncomfortably. She walked silently back into the room and noticed Bella was staring out the window, smiling.

"What time does school start"? Lily asked, picking up her own bright green backpack.

Bella turned quickly, the smile still on her face.

"It starts in about 20 minutes. Edward is here to pick us up," Bella said, a sudden frown appearing.

It took Lily a second to comprehend what that frown meant. No, she did not like Edward, but she would try harder today; be better. She wanted desperately to not change Bella's whole life, more than it already had, so she forced a smile on her lips and nodded.

"That's so nice," she said through gritted teeth, "Will we have time to stop by the front office?"

Bella simply nodded and walked past Lily. She followed close on Bella's heels, shutting their bedroom door behind her. Bella bounded out the door seemingly unable to get to Edward fast enough. They quickly hugged before he ran to open the door. It took a second before Lily noticed that the door was open for her and she stumbled in the backseat, Bella climbing into the front passenger seat swiftly after her.

Lily scooted across the supple leather until she was sitting in the middle. She realized too late that it was in perfect eye line for Edward. However, she was determined to be nice to Edward and ignore her unjust instincts toward him. She plastered her familiar fake smile across her face as Edward adjusted his mirror, looking straight at her. She was good at nothing if not faking a smile.

"Should I move?" Lily asked, hoping her question appeared polite.

Edward simply shook his head and reversed from the driveway without looking back again. The car basically crawled toward Forks High School and Lily was instantly sure this was for Bella's sake as she saw her shoulders relax. Edward reached across the center console in the next second and took her hand. Bella never even looked from the window as they touched. Lily also noticed that she didn't cringe, which is what she was certain she would have done. She desperately needed to investigate the source of these feelings, maybe talk to Jay about all this, before she made any assumptions about Edward.

She shoved whatever monster this was down as far as possible as she rearranged her features, noticing suddenly that was on her face now was closer to a scowl than a smile. She followed Bella's lead and starred out the window to her left. The small town of Forks flashed before her eyes, but mostly she saw green. While she would miss the beach she definitely appreciated the wonderfully green and lush place she would call home soon enough.

_Home. Our room. Sister_.

All these words and more were playing on repeat in her head and a grin spread on her face. She liked the sound of all these words, especially since they finally applied to her in all the best ways. She just desperately hoped she would not screw this up.

They pulled into a spot near the front that seemed to almost be reserved for Edward. The parking lot was nearly full, but this spot was void. As Edward placed the car in park Lily unbuckled. She looked up in time to see four more unnaturally beautiful people that seemed to be waiting for Edward. If she'd been paying close attention she would have realized it was in that instant that the hair on the back of her neck stood straight.

Lily looked back to Edward and watched his interaction with them. They all had the same eerie, pale shade to their flawless skin. They also all shared a variation of the same golden eye color. She shook her head a couple of times and then got out the same door Bella had just exited. They _had_ to be his family.

Lily stood in between Bella and Edward unintentionally as she got out of the car. After straightening her shirt she looked up and saw all eyes on her. She was also suddenly very aware of the close proximity of everyone. Uneasy wasn't even a strong enough word to describe her feelings right now. She laughed awkwardly and slid between the two cars toward the small sidewalk.

"The office is this way," Lily stated more than questioned, motioning toward the same doors she had entered yesterday.

She didn't know whether she should wait for Bella and she turned on the group and walked slowly.

_"Why do you have to be such a freak?!" Lily silently scolded herself, "So much for not being rude."_

She would have to try to explain her situation to Bella. Just maybe Bella knew the feeling and help her get adjusted. Maybe it wasn't Edward at all; maybe it was just her new life and her newfound freedom to be herself. There had to be some underlying reason for all this hostility toward a person she had just met.

She heard Bella's footsteps slightly jogging toward her. She also heard a stumble in those steps and then Bella seemed to regain her composure in the next second. Lily did not need to turn around to know that Edward had been the one to stop Bella's trajectory toward the concrete. The suddenly strong smell wafting toward her also gave him away. Lily couldn't place the smell, but it was giving her a headache and quickly. Somehow she knew that sickly sweet, almost sugary smell, was associated with Edward. She was probably imagining that too.

_"Probably just my mind playing tricks on me so I don't have a __**complete**__ mental breakdown,"_ she thought to herself.

She pushed the doors open in front of her and continued to the right. She had guessed right as she saw the sign that stated "FRONT OFFICE" in big silver letters. She smiled, in spite of herself, for being able to remember so easily. Though how hard could it be with a school and a town this small. She avoided all the curious eyes as she entered the small, mildew-smelling room. Lily smiled big for the greying, middle-aged woman sitting behind the desk. This wasn't the same woman as yesterday, but she would just explain her situation and see what was needed next.

Bella and Edward held a hushed conversation behind her. Lily made no effort to decipher its meaning as she began to start the speech she had prepared for everyone.

"Hi. Lily Swan?" the woman asked, before Lily could even get a word out.

She simply nodded and took the schedule that was pushed across the counter to her. As she turned around Bella and Edward broke up their conversation and turned to Lily. Lily held up the piece of paper grinning.

"Well it's official. This is the weirdest day of my life," Lily remarked, laughing softly.

Bella's crooked smile reached her eyes as she read the schedule over Lily's shoulder, walking out of the office.

"Oh. That's nice. We have a lot of classes together," Bella stated, simply, "and you even have one with Alice."

Lily did not understand everyone's fascination with this Alice person, but she would find out soon enough. Regardless, if Bella and Charlie liked her Lily would like her too… she had to.

Lily followed behind Edward and Bella now as they lead the way. Lily pretended to be engrossed in her schedule as every eye in the long hallway followed her. She had half expected this due to the sheer size of the student body. It probably wasn't everyday someone like Lily walked through the doors. She pushed a curl that had fallen from her messy bun back behind her ear. She wondered if there was a bathroom on the way that she could stop at to fix her hair. Suddenly anxiety was her primary emotion as she looked around nervously.

_"Oh wait," she thought, "I don't have to fix my hair if I don't want to!" _

Lily smiled again and she was sure if someone was paying any sort of attention they would think she was crazy, periodically smiling to herself. This caused a small giggle and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Edward was almost mirroring her facial expressions as if he was in on her private conversation.

They all walked over the threshold of the small classroom and Bella walked up to the man behind the front desk Lily knew must be the teacher. Bella said a small 'hello' and motioned toward Lily. He nodded and gestured that Lily should follow Edward and Bella to her new seat. They merely walked to the back of the room, to the last table, and took their seats on the end. Lily sat on the other side of Bella and settled her backpack on the floor near her seat.

It seemed that everyone at this small school knew Lily and the situation. Maybe that little speech she had prepared to explain the situation wasn't necessary. It was already slightly jarring that no one seemed to watch her as she walked to her seat. Sure, they had watched in the hallway, but in the privacy of the classroom no one seemed to pay her any mind.

She turned to stare up at the front of the room as their teacher walked around his desk and leaned casually against it. He was obviously trying hard to appear as the "cool" teacher. Lily leaned forward and propped herself on her arm as she prepared for a lecture.

Just as she had predicted he began yammering on about Romeo and Juliet. English was her favorite class and also the easiest. She had always taken very advanced classes and they were on a stricter curriculum in Maryland so this would not be a new lesson for her. She proceeded to tune him out as she had already tested on the book. She had scored wonderful, as she always did and as was expected of her. At least the fear of punishment from a bad grade, or even bad day for that matter, was gone from her life.

She pulled out one of her empty notebooks to at least appear to be listening. Her mind began to wonder and she was suddenly daydreaming again. The exact color of Jay's skin came back full force. The way the light reflected off it and the slight musky tinge to his body hit her hard as she let her memories of this summer replay in her mind.

Everything about it had been remarkable and unbelievable with Jay in it. She hadn't quite placed her feelings, but she knew she had enjoyed any time she was able to spend with him. The fact that his family just _happened_ to be conducting their annual family reunion there was enough to make her celebrate, but they had also clicked in a way she never had with anyone before, which was spectacular and terrifying.

They had continued their relationship of sorts through frequent e-mails, text messages, and even the occasional Skype session. Once in a blue moon she had even gotten a quick by some of his friends, though now she couldn't remember their names.

Edward made a strange noise beside Bella, half choke and half laugh. Lily was too nervous to turn to inspect. The noise had interrupted her daydream and she suddenly looked around to the others to see if she had somehow revealed where she really was, instead of in a classroom full of people. No one seemed to even be aware that they were back here. It was if Lily, Edward, and Bella were on the outside looking in. It was a wonderful feeling to know that there was no one to watch your every move as closely as they had in that hell hole.

Lily looked to her right to determine what was causing Edward to make that noise. He stared ahead as did Bella, as if nothing had happened in the first place. Maybe she had imagined that too and she launched herself back into her daydream. His booming laugh resounded from her memories and she was transported again to the warm sand.

Before Lily had noticed everyone was up and getting their things together for the next class. She assumed the bell had rung to signal the end of class, though she hadn't heard it. She reached down for her backpack and looked over to Bella, who was staring down at her quizzically, Edward behind Bella watching cautiously.

She stood up and waited for them to lead the way once again. She forced another smile as Edward looked into her eyes. He smiled back, but it was with a look of worry. She was unsure what could cause that for him other than the fact that she probably looked crazy half a second ago. She got up in the next instant and followed obediently, asking no questions. She was deep in thought as she walked contemplated what it meant that she was imagining so much later. Also, her daydreams seemed to be more frequent in this place. Thought she would probably get a text or two throughout the day she knew she'd talked to him, but she was unsure of when she would see Jay again. Her daydreams were what probably helped her cope so much with all the change.

_"Change and lies,"_ she thought.

She followed silently behind the pair again and took in her surroundings and she looked over all the handmade posters revealing the school's recent happenings. She ran into Edward's back as she hadn't noticed they had stopped. Lily was suddenly very aware of how strong Edward was or unmoving rather. It was if he was a statue, made of stone, and it was a bizarre feeling. She backed away instantly and looked over at Bella, feeling as if she had run headfirst into a brick wall. Bella gestured for Lily to enter the classroom.

"You're not in this class?" Lily said, sounding defeating. She noticed that Bella made no move to enter as well.

The idea of separating from Bella, even with Edward, was slight torture. All of the other kids had been too nervous to talk to her with Bella there and she was sure as soon as they weren't together they would launch the thousand question assault. Lily didn't know if she was quite ready for all of the attention again. She signed heavily and walked past Bella, giving her a pained smile.

"We're in the class after this," Bella reassured Lily, "And Alice is in this one too."

As if out of thin air there was a tiny, dark-haired pixie at her left. Without any introduction Lily knew this must be Alice. Lily smiled in spite of herself as she looked over at the girl with the wide grin. Alice motioned to the back of the room where two desks sat near the wall. Maybe it was genetic that they wanted to sit as far away from the rest of the class as possible. It was if they were scared of the other kids. Lily obliged and placed her backpack across the back of her chair she assumed was hers turning in time to see the small, plump teacher take a seat behind her desk.

The bell rang and the last few stragglers entered the classroom, some at a slight jog, attempting to appear that they had been in a hurry to get there. Alice began to speak and it all came out in almost a sing-song voice. It was very jarring to hear and it made everyone else's voice sound like sandpaper compared to this beautiful chiming speech. Lily, not wanting to appear rude, turned to face her, but not without a quick glance toward the teacher to see if she planned on starting any time soon. She didn't even look up from whatever she was engrossed in so Lily assumed it was safe enough.

She did not want to appear the troublemaker her first day here either. From what she had gathered of Bella she never caused any trouble and Lily didn't want be the first to rock the boat. That's all Charlie needed right now; to be told that the daughter he had just reunited with was getting punished at school.

She turned to see Alice smiling still and Lily returned the sentiment. She realized that the smiles with Alice, at least, are not forced or fake and for that she is grateful. Alice's demeanor and sense of ease remind Lily greatly of how she felt around Bella and Charlie. She silently makes a note that Edward can't be all that bad if this is his sister.

"So, are you settling in okay?" Alice questioned, though it was a polite inquiry. Lily knew it was sincere as she looked back into Alice's gorgeous goldenrod eyes.

Lily simply nodded. She didn't know if it was safe to get into a complete conversation. Alice seemed to know precisely how long to talk as she continued to ask other slightly probing questions.

"Is it strange being away from all your friends? How it is going with Charlie? Have you talked to Renee yet?" Alice blurted out all at once "Oh and feel free to not answer anything. I just know that I would be bursting at the seams to talk about all the new experiences… "

"…if it were me," she added quickly.

Lily smiled back at her and realized that she had someone just for that, but she didn't mind telling Alice any of it. She looked around to see if others were listening. She didn't feel like her every word becoming gossip. When she glanced she noticed everyone seemed to be in their own conversation so she turned back to Alice.

"Bella and Charlie are great. Honestly, I'm a little nervous this is all a dream," Lily scooted back quickly, not sure what made her say that.

She almost wanted to slap her hands over her mouth to keep the word vomit from coming out. Alice reached over to touch her arm, in an attempt to be comforting she was sure, but even with the thick jacket on Lily could feel an icy sting from Alice.

It was just as last night was with Edward. The instant he had taken her hand she had felt an icy bite. She knew of no other way to describe it and now it seemed a dull pain with Alice. She thought in one instant to move her hand, but decided against it. She desperately did not want to offend Alice. She had already said too much.

"I know what you mean," Alice began, "When I was adopted by Carlisle and Esme it seemed like a fairy tale. I just kept thinking they would realize I didn't belong here. That I wasn't good enough."

Lily was suddenly shocked when she realized she knew nothing of their lives. She had been in too big of a hurry to hate Edward that even after Bella had finally come to their room last night she hadn't asked a single question. Now that last night was replaying in her mind she realized she hadn't said anything to Bella at all. She reminded herself, once again, to apologize to Bella for last night.

"I didn't know you were adopted," Lily stated truthfully, "That is basically what I feel like; Almost like I don't belong. I mean, I know I do when I see some little similarities between me and Bella, but I feel like I've stepped in the middle of the story instead of the beginning like you're supposed to.

"If that makes any sense…" Lily said, trailing off. Her cheeks becoming red hot with the blush she knew must be there.

She looked away from Alice, hoping the teacher would save her and begin whatever lecture or lesson she had planned today, but there was no such luck. Their teacher remained head down and only seemed to even look up when it got a touch too loud. Lily had no choice but to turn back to Alice. She decided instead to simply turn Alice's direction and look down at her desk, seemingly enthralled by what was scrawled there.

"It makes perfect sense," Alice whispered and winked as Lily looked up.

Alice then turned to face the front of the room. Lily hadn't even heard their teacher more, but there she was in front of her desk. Lily turned to grab her notebook from her backpack behind her again. She might love English and do very well, but that wasn't the case with every subject. She turned back to their teacher and focused her attention on the board ahead. She would make the most of her time here. Now that she knew how close she was to already losing Bella to college she needed every moment she got with Bella was precious. She needed to find out the missing pieces to her life.

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	6. Zealous

Bella smiled over at Lily as she caught her eye. It seemed ages ago that Lily had come to join this small family. It had never occurred to Bella that this small family wasn't complete. She couldn't be happier to finally know the tiny, peppy blonde she now called her sister. That wasn't to say that it was perfect all the time, but it was certainly better than anyone had imagined.

Today would be the day that it all came full circle too. Today was the first day she would see Jacob since she found out. The day that Edward had told her seemed still so vivid in her mind as she had replayed it over and over afterwards.

Keeping that small, but huge secret from Lily was more daunting than she'd realized when she'd agreed. They had both decided that making sure that Lily stayed in the dark about this was imperative. Edward had reminded her, more than once, that this simply wasn't their secret to tell. Hopefully, after their meeting today Jacob would come clean on his own.

She moved back to the kitchen and left Lily and Charlie to the game they were watching together to begin dinner. While Bella wouldn't be there this evening she wanted to make sure Charlie didn't drag Lily to the diner for the hundredth time. Lily had insisted that she could make dinner just fine, but Bella enjoyed it. She knew it was her thing to make dinner and Lily's to watch the games with Charlie. At first, Bella had assumed Lily was simply doing it to appease Charlie, but it truly appeared that Lily enjoyed all sports as Charlie did. It was a thing of beauty to view the two of them in their element, discussing different aspects of whatever sport they were watching.

They both grumbled at whatever had just happened on the large television screen and Bella's face broke in a small smile. How had they survived without Lily before? It all seemed so far away. While everyone seemed to be getting along just fine Lily was far from opening up to anyone. Bella just hoped that it didn't lead to a complete implosion on Lily's part. No one could keep that quiet for too long; not without consequences.

The microwave dinged and broke Bella from her trance. At once, a knock came on the front door and as neither of them moved, Bella walked silently to the door. Bella knew who it must be and when she saw his face her own lit up. She reached over the threshold and pulled him in by the neck, hugging him close.

It was nice to know that every bit of tension that existed between Edward and Jacob at one time was absolutely gone. He had been the one to suggest the rendezvous as a reconciliation of sorts for their friendship. It was certainly nice to know the final, true nature of their relationship and know that Jacob saw it the same way. For once, where Jacob was concerned, everything seemed in its place. The real reason for the ungodly pull they both felt was revealed as were the mystical reasons behind it.

Lily coughed lightly beside them to interrupt their meeting. Bella looked up in time to see her motioning with her head towards Charlie. It was their signal that he was coming and that Bella might want to tone down the obvious displays of affection for Edward around Charlie just a bit.

Lily giggled quietly as she always did, shaking her head slowly at the pair. Edward & Bella's blatant feelings for one another seemed to always surprise and amuse Lily. The familiar heat rose to her cheeks as she removed her arms from his cold body and walked slowly into the kitchen to regain her composure.

He followed quietly behind her, holding one hand, as it she appeared to be leading him to his normal spot. She pulled the spaghetti sauce out of the microwave and smiled politely over at Lily who was pulling down two ancient, floral-patterned plates. Lily returned the smile and then ducked to the table, across from Edward, but never looking directly at him.

Their relationship was strained to say the least. Bella knew getting Lily to admit her feelings about Edward would be the hardest thing to get to behind the wall she had built. Bella was grateful that whatever her feelings she was making a real effort. She placed the two bowls on the table and turned to alert Charlie, but he was already headed her direction.

Edward moved from his position and stood next to Bella at a slightly alarming speed. No one seemed to notice as the pair began to dish out their large helpings. Bella couldn't help a chuckle that escaped as the petite Lily took a third scoop of noodles and placed it on her plate. Lily's cheeks turned red as she shook her head and smiled at Bella.

"Well…" Bella began, "I'm going to go up and see Jake…"

She rocked back and forth on her heels, nervousness setting in, as she realized that she would soon be seeing her best friend to discuss uncomfortable issues. She secretly hoped that Charlie would oppose or even want her to relay her day to prolong her departure. No such luck occurred for Bella as Charlie simply nodded and then returned his attention to the large pile in front of him.

Bella rolled her eyes as she huffed to herself and walked out the front door. She knew Edward was close behind as she could feel the chill in the air around him. She never turned to see his reaction as she went to open her door. As was custom he was there before she had a chance to reach the door handle and today she didn't object. She wasn't about to push Edward to the point of not letting her go. While she dreaded this conversation she knew it had to be made.

They rode to the imaginary boundary line before Forks and La Push in silence as Bella never removed her eyes from the road. She had taken to counting the trees as they sped past. Truthfully, she was getting slightly nauseous and for once she was not perturbed or embarrassed. She gracefully welcomed it as it distracted her ever so slightly from the thickening forest.

As they turned the corner Bella looked up and saw a very relaxed Jacob sitting on the edge of his small white Rabbit. At least one of them didn't appear to fear the upcoming moments as they broached unfamiliar territory. Edward crawled to a stop for what Bella was certain had to do with the fact he wished to extend their time together. His black eyes told another story and she was fortunate that all of this was occurring when it did, he needed desperately to hunt.

He reached over to hug her awkwardly across the center console and buried his head into her hair. She was fairly certain that he had sniffed it, but she couldn't be too sure with Edward as he made it clear how much distance was needed between the two of them. She returned the hug and then made a small move to open the door. He loosened his hold on her and finally allowed her to escape his grasp and head out into the crisp air.

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked to close the distance between her and Jacob. She wanted to turn to see Edward's face, but knew that it would destroy her resolve. Bella was not one for confrontation, but today would be different. She knew that Lily needed this to happen and that thought alone made her stronger. Though Lily needed it she didn't quite know it yet and this was beginning to become more complicated as the days dragged on.

Jacob walked slowly to meet her with his hands in his pockets staring down at the asphalt as he walked. A small grin broke on Bella's face as she realized that Jacob was simply better at hiding his nervousness initially, not that he wasn't nervous at all.

He finally gazed up as they had almost reached each other, but looked instead over her head completely and directly at Edward. Bella turned quickly to see his reaction and was met with a simple nod in their direction. Jacob reached out and took her hand, leading her to the car, without ever looking directly at her. The suspense was killing her, but not enough to make her initiate this conversation.

They entered the car silently and Bella unintentionally mimicked every moment of his, buckling up slowly in another effort to avoid the tension. Jacob cleared his throat and Bella's heart rate picked up immediately as it seemed the unavoidable awkwardness was finally greeting them.

"Bella," Jacob began, his voice more hoarse than she predicted, "I'm not sure what Edward told you, but I promise it's not as weird as it sounds."

Bella's eyebrows raised in response to his comment as the words Edward had said replayed in her mind. The most surprising to Bella was how gracious Edward had appeared when explaining Jacob's sudden plight. Once the realization hit she knew the reason behind the sudden change in his behavior, he felt almost sorry for Jacob because he understood.

A light rain began to beat on the car roof as they sped along toward La Push and its inhabitants. When Jacob didn't continue Bella turned to look at him and was startled to see a look of pain there. This was bothering him more than even Edward had let on and she reached across to close their distance, placing her hand on his arm.

"Jake."

"Bella," a smile on his lips, her touch seemingly reassuring, "I know she is your sister. A sister you never even knew you had and the whole thing is just ridiculous."

All his words were now rushing together in his nervousness and she ached to reaffirm that this was in no way ridiculous.

"Jacob," she interrupted his speech, "This is not silly, okay. This is… special. She is my sister, but she is your…"

The word seemed stuck in her throat and even after rehearsing some version of the current conversation she didn't know if she was prepared to say what was needed.

"Imprint," he finished for her.

Bella nodded her head and a grin spread that was surprisingly not forced.

"Yes, your imprint, Jake. That's special and I really, really wish you would just let her know everything so I didn't have to keep this secret from her."

Her tone was more accusatory than she meant for it to be, but she believed sincerely in what she was saying. He didn't need to tell her all the mythical creatures that Forks and La Push held, but he could at least come clean on the fact that he was a mere twenty minutes from she now sat on the couch with Charlie.

He was already shaking his head vehemently at this suggestion and she could tell he had rehearsed this encounter also.

"Bells, you know I literally can't do that."

"I know you can't tell her _that_ Jake, but I just meant you could tell her she was just a short drive away from you."

"Bella I…"

He pulled into his dirt driveway before putting the car into park in front of the small, rust-colored house. He looked down at his hands almost seemingly embarrassed of what he was going to say next though Bella was sure it would not shock her at all.

"…I just lied to her so much Bells. I don't think you come back from that. I know I'm a coward, okay, but I'm enjoying the time I'm having with her right now. Even if it's just through the phone and stuff."

He never looked up to gauge her reaction as he spoke and she wished he had. He would have noticed that at no time did her expression change because she had expected everything he had just confessed.

"Jake. I know all the lies you told."

His face shot up to hers at the revelation and the embarrassment was now clearly etched on his face. He then returned his gaze to his hands and she knew exactly what she would say to him next before any of the conversation had even begun.

"I just have a hard time believing it's a bigger deal than Sam being in love with Emily while he was dating Leah."

His mouth twitched slightly as if he was trying not to find her comment funny though it wasn't meant to be.

"I think it might be a little more complicated than that."

Bella laughed out loud before she could catch herself and then was finding it extremely difficult to stop. Before she knew what had happened they were both in hysterics, laughing together at some unknown joke.

As it quieted down Jacob simply rolled his eyes and got out of the car, heading for his house. Bella got out and followed more slowly behind. They both walked into the small entryway and shook off the raindrops that had gathered in their hair and on their clothes. The tension seemed to have disappeared as they walked from the rabbit and they walked into the living room and took what used to be their normal positions in front of the television.

Jacob flipped to one of the local news station channels and turned the volume down to make it simply background noise. It appeared he had more to say, but it would not be in the same anxious mood from before. She smiled up at him and took in the sheer size of Jacob as he towered over her, even as they sat cross-legged on the couch facing each other now.

"Jake, listen, I know this all seems complicated now, but I still think you should tell Lily about _most _of this."

He sat silently listening to her and offered no indication he had even heard her so she continued. She knew she would probably have one uninterrupted chance at this.

"Lily is very understanding and nice and funny and I just hate to see her hurting."

Jacob's face dropped at this news as if he is genuinely taken by surprise at it. Bella was momentarily blindsided by the amount of emotion swimming in his eyes at this revelation. She silently berated herself as she thought of how good Lily was at hiding her feelings, especially if the other party couldn't see her face. This was new information for Jacob and as Bella was now realizing, it was hurting him because it was hurting her.

"She's hurting…"

He said it as more of a statement than a question, but it was still full of regret for having unintentionally caused Lily any harm. Bella backtracked so that she could set them back on their original path. The one they were on before Jacob had suddenly become overcome by his shame.

"Jake. Listen. I'm sorry for saying it like that. It's just that I can tell it hurts her feelings when you kind of skirt around the idea of meeting up with her again."

He was now looking down at his hands as he absentmindedly played with the strings on the bottom of his shorts.

"She just really likes you Jake. I mean, you should see her face when she talks about hanging out with you before. Her whole face lights up."

Bella smiled involuntarily as she thought of the excitement in Lily's voice when she told stories of her 'Jay'. She felt as if this was the only time Lily every truly let her guard down and it was only when she was alone with Bella in their room. Those small talks, even when they weren't about anything in particular, were starting to become some of Bella's favorite moments. It was simply nice to have someone to have silly conversations about nothing with.

"She doesn't even know my real name, Bells."

"I know, but honestly Jake I think she'd take it a lot better than you think."

He scoffed at my comment, "Not everyone is so accepting of weird things as you."

It was Bella's turn to roll her eyes at his comment. The fact that Lily was even in Forks showed that she could handle more than Jacob wanted to believe.

"Jake, not even a month Lily was on the other side of the country living her life as an only child. I think she'd handle it just fine."

Jacob waved his hand as if that was the end of the conversation and she noticed the pain in his eyes as he dismissed it. He turned to face the television fully and reached for the remote to turn the volume to a more manageable level. Bella sighed loudly in protest before turning her attention to the same as Jacob flipped quickly through the channels.

The rest of the day went remarkably well compared to the beginning as they fell back into their normal routine. They spent a large part of the afternoon in the same garage they'd forged their friendship. Bella had also noticed that Jacob seemed extremely content with the fact that they were friends and nothing more, never changing the subject of their conversations to anything Edward would consider out-of-line. Their conversation flowed seamlessly from one to the other as they discussed everything from the pack, to Bella's school.

Before Bella even had time to register the darkness of the sky she was being driven back to the treaty line by Jacob. Their conversation ended more carefree than it had begun as they slowed around the final corner. Bella reached over to hug Jacob and make her way back to Edward, who she hadn't realized how much she'd missed until this moment. She wanted to hurry without hurting Jacob's feelings, but was surprised when he was matching her step for step toward Edward and his car.

Bella looked over at out of the corner of her eye to gauge his emotions as they neared Edward. Jacob didn't seem unhappy as they finally reached him, but maybe even a little ashamed. He never looked up as Bella went to stand next to Edward.

"Bella," Edward began, "would you please leave me to talk to Jacob alone?"

Edward motioned to the passenger side of the car, but Bella made no movement towards the vehicle.

Jacob sighed loudly before speaking, "It's fine, Bells. Promise."

Bella watched them both closely before heading to her designated seat. Edward was there to open the door for her before she had made it there. He smiled down at her as she entered and he shut the door behind her slowly. Bella made sure that Edward was back in front of the car before she rolled down her window slightly, hoping neither of them noticed. Her body was tense in the event that this was a more sinister conversation than either of the boys was letting on.

"I know what you're going to say," Jacob spat out.

Bella couldn't see Edward's face, as his back was to her, but she could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke next.

"Actually, Jacob, I believe it would be me that knows what you will say."

Jacob chuckled without humor and shook his head, still not removing his gaze from the ground. Edward waited patiently, but when Jacob chose not to continue Edward did.

"Jacob, I think you have seen the consequences of making up someone else's mind for them."

He shot his gaze directly into Edward's with a look of surprise and hurt. Edward made only a small move, which effectively blocked Bella's view. She huffed and scooted the other direction determined to be part of this.

"This is not the same thing."

"Isn't it?"

"I mean, if I knew what she was thinking that would be one thing…"

"I will not invade her privacy for you Jacob. You know she cares for you deeply. Stop making excuses."

Bella was shocked by how forceful Edward was being toward Jacob. It took her a moment to understand his distress in the recent events and Jacob's decisions, but then it came to her. Edward was reminded of what happened when he made the mistake of effectively ending their relationship. A small tear formed in her eye and she wiped it away the moment it threatened to spill down her cheek. The wounds were still fresh and now Bella realized it was that way for Edward also.

"Please, Jacob, just consider the possibility that what you've built up in your head is the furthest thing from the truth."

Jacob pondered Edward's comment before finally shaking his head and extending his hand. Bella was completely taken aback by the demonstration of camaraderie Jacob was displaying. Edward shook Jacob's hand before turning to return to the vehicle. Jacob stood their silently before returning to his own vehicle and driving back toward La Push.

Bella decided that she would wait a few minutes after they had been driving before she would demand answer to her questions from Edward. When he seemed to be purposely ignoring her staring a hole into the side of his head she finally conceded.

"I think I know what that was about, but it would be nice if you told me what was going on too. I don't like being left out."

He turned to see her face and smiled at what was Bella's best attempt at pouting. He seemed to contemplate the best way to phrase things before beginning.

"Jacob is simply making a horrific mistake that I wish he wouldn't."

"And that mistake would be?"

"He has no intention of seeing Lily."

Bella moved until her back hit the subtle leather seats forcing her to stare out the front windshield. Jacob would really choose to be away from Lily? Bella was suddenly realizing she knew nothing of the imprint situation and resolved to ask Edward about it fully the next time they had an extended moment together. She was not one for forcing Jacob to do anything, but when it seemed to be progressively hurting Lily's feelings she would do what was necessary. Jacob would see that in this situation Bella knew what was best and how this ended if he didn't get over his pigheadedness.

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